Rural Travel Guide
Brand Development | Layout Design | PhotographyRural travel guide series that encourages more people to consider rural travel destinations.
The Goal
Whereas city guides require filtering to fight through the overwhelm, rural guides require scavengers to surface the gems. This project serves as a template of what a curated, designed travel guide could look like for smaller places. Bonus: Boost rural economic development efforts.
Design Scope
Develop a printed guide template and proof of concept that is visually on par with more niche, design-focused urban guides, while providing an intimate, curated guide for rural regions.
Project Statement
Rural places can be harder to navigate without local intel, yet the tourism market in rural places is expected to grow.
Current tourism information is usually published by local chambers or state agencies, resulting in guides that lack authentic editorial insight, distinct design, and engaging digital content.
Inspiration
Monocle Travel Guides: Similar size (5.5" x 8.3"), tone
Maine the Way: Similar geographical approach, photo-forward
Collective Quarterly: Audience overlap, photo essays, local intel
Page Templates
I established a set of templates for the different sections, using a mix of 6-column and 4-column grids and full-bleed spreads. Here is one example, used for business profiles.
6-column profile spreads allow for a mix of images, pull quotes, and copy
Layouts should leave some room for white space; it's okay to break margins for full-bleed images
Color, Graphics, & Typography
Color palette for the series
A cropped square is a repeated graphical element
Two classic typefaces balance the more extensive, modern color palette
Final Spreads
The 96-page proof-of-concept travel guide booklet comprises 6-column spreads, 4-column spreads, and full-bleed photo spreads for section intros.
These examples show how these page templates can flex, and how they offer a visual cadence to the guide book.
Sample Spread: Buy Guide
This spread is intended to spotlight unique food, drink, and retail offerings of a particular region, inspired by the Monocle Guidebooks.
